


safe place to land

by orphan_account



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Good Theo Raeken, Kid Fic, M/M, Pining Liam, Protective Theo Raeken, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-03-07 21:20:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13443615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: It's been three years since the fight at the hospital, three years since Liam and Theo shared a kiss in the elevator before risking their lives for each other, and three years since Theo took Gabe's pain as he lay dying. It's been three years since Theo left town without another word.But a lot can change in three years, namely Theo's new status as Father Of One, and he's back in Beacon Hills, determined to complete his goal and get out before a certain blue-eyed beta can remind him of everything he's missing.





	1. heaven only knows where you've been

**Author's Note:**

> I babysat the cutest kid ever yesterday and afterwards this idea just wouldn't leave me alone. So enjoy this half-planned-out fic of Theo as a dad and Liam pining like his life depends on it.
> 
> Not beta read so if I made any mistakes please let me know.

Theo can already feel his chest tightening in anticipation as he drives past the faded brown sign that reads _Welcome to Beacon Hills._ He’s been gone for so long that he’s almost forgotten the way that supernatural energy flows through this town, sharpening his heightened senses as they unconsciously search for the one thing that Theo is determined _not_ to find during his hopefully short stay here.

He knows that it’s highly unlikely he won’t run into Liam while he’s here. Beacon Hills is a small town after all, and Scott will undoubtedly tell Liam about Theo’s presence after they meet up and Theo tells the alpha what he needs to do. But it doesn’t mean that Theo is particularly excited about seeing the beta again, in fact, it’s probably the absolute last thing he wants right now.

 _Liar,_ a small voice in his head says. He ignores it.

Theo re-focuses his thoughts on driving, although he really doesn’t need to— Beacon Hills hasn’t changed at all in the three years he’s been gone, every road, tree, and building the exact same as it had been back then. He itches to take the familiar side street that leads down to the preserve, but instead stays on the main road towards the motel that will be home for his time here.

He’s thankful that money finally, _finally_ , isn’t a problem anymore. Theo can actually afford to drive across the country and not worry about paying for gas, or finding a place to park his truck where police wouldn’t spy him sleeping in the backseat. The job he’d had back in North Carolina had actually allowed him to save up enough to live comfortably, if not slightly on a budget.

Besides, things are different now. He isn’t a lonely nineteen year old kid anymore, and there is no way he’s going to sleep in his car in the forest if he can afford to splurge on a motel for a couple of nights. Especially because now, he has more to think about than just himself.

Levi sleeps soundly in his car seat in the back row, one chubby fist half stuffed in his mouth and the other curled tightly around the fuzzy blanket that covers him. His outrageously curly hair, which mirrors Theo’s in color, has fallen over in front of his eyes, acting like a curtain of sorts from the bright California sunset. Theo makes a mental note to take the little boy to get his hair cut soon as he glances in the rearview mirror to ensure that he’s still fast asleep.

On some days, Levi is as much of an obnoxious punk as his dad, but on other days, he is the most well-behaved two year old in the world. Theo is thankful that this is one of those days. His son is the light of his entire life, but he knows there is absolutely no way he would be able to drive from North Carolina to California with Levi throwing a tantrum in the backseat and stay sane.

That’s the whole reason he’s back in Beacon Hills— for his son. That’s the reason Theo does most things, these days. He feels like his life finally has purpose, has meaning, and he’s determined not to mess it up like he has somehow messed up everything else. Tara, his parents, all the people he hurt when he was with the Dread Doctors, Scott… _Liam._

The guilt that Theo feels for those things is inescapable, most of the time. Like the self-loathing has become so much a part of him that it has sunk deep into his bones and stayed there, merging with his very soul. But when he holds Levi in his arms, everything seems lighter, like maybe there’s still a chance that he can be better. Or, more importantly, that he can teach his son to be better.

Theo thinks that he’s doing alright. Levi is healthy, and happy, and shows no penchant for evil other than dropping his food on the floor from his high-chair when Theo’s not looking— which drives Theo totally nuts, and Levi knows it, which is why he does it, giggling uncontrollably when Theo bends down to clean the mess up.

But while Theo may get annoyed at his son sometimes, he makes sure to only show the little boy his love, and never his anger, because he doesn’t ever want to be the kind of dad that makes his kid feel bad. A dad like his own, which he, admittedly, barely remembers, but it’s hard to forget the neglect that was so central to his childhood before the Dread Doctors, and even with them and after them.

But Levi fills the majority of that gap now, with his excited toddler babble and toothy smiles. Theo knows there’s still something missing, but those are dangerous thoughts, thoughts that lead him back to Liam and the last time he saw him.

_“What are you doing here?” Liam gasped, breathing heavily and separating himself from Theo’s tight hold as the elevator doors slid shut on Gabe and the hunters’ wall of bullets._

_“I was just asking myself the same thing,” Theo remarked, pulling his beanie off his head and stuffing it into his back pocket. “Are you okay?”_

_“Yeah, fine,” Liam replied, one corner of his mouth upticking just barely. “Thanks for saving me.”_

_“Again,” Theo added, smirking a little. Liam huffed, laughing a little. He should’ve known there was no way Theo would just accept the genuine thank you. “They still out there?”_

_“Yeah, think so,” Liam nodded, focusing his hearing outside of the elevator where the sounds of footsteps and guns cocking echoed in his head like bombs. “We’re gonna get killed if we go out there.”_

_“Well, I’m not dying for you,” Theo said quickly, knowing full well that it was a lie._

_“I’m not dying for you either,” Liam repeated. Theo heard the uptick in the beta's hertbeat, but didn't say anything about it._

_“So I guess we’re both making it out of this alive,” Theo responded, unable to stop the little smile, that he’d somehow reserved just for Liam, from spreading on his face. “Scott will be glad to hear that.”_

_“Is that why you’re here?” Liam asked, unconsciously- or maybe not- leaning closer to Theo. “For Scott?”_

_Theo knew what the question was really asking. And despite the fact that every nerve ending in his well-trained brain was screaming at him not to say anything, he figured it was now or never. So, after sucking in a shaky breath, he told Liam, “You know it’s not.”_

_“Good,” Liam breathed, and Theo barely had a moment to process what that meant before the beta’s lips were on his, hands curling around his cheek and the back of his neck to bring him closer. Theo gasped into Liam’s mouth, responding eagerly to the kiss. He’d never in a million years thought that he would get to do this— or that Liam liked him back at all._

_Slowly, hesitantly, Theo pulled back from the kiss to catch his breath and look into Liam’s beautiful blue eyes. He leveled his voice as best he could before he asked, “What was that for?”_

_“We’re about to go fight a dozen well-armed hunters,” Liam shrugged nonchalantly, pulling away from Theo like he didn’t actually want to. “Figured I should do that once. Just in case.”_

_“I thought we weren’t dying for each other?” Theo remarked, a happy smirk settling on his face. He’d just kissed Liam. Liam had kissed him._

_“We’re not,” Liam agreed. “But we do have to fight for each other.”_

_“Okay, then,” Theo nodded, letting his claws unsheath as he leaned over to press the button to open the elevator doors. “Let’s fight.”_

When Theo thinks about that moment now, as he pulls into the parking lot of the motel, it makes his heart seize up painfully. He knows he doesn’t have any right to feel sad about it— he’s the one who had left, after all. But even despite that, he misses Liam fiercely, unable to go a day without thinking of the boy who’d taught him how to care.

And he is so, unbelievably, thankful for that. Because now he can care about his son, and not feel guilty about it the way the Dread Doctors conditioned him to.

Theo carefully climbs out of his truck, not wanting to wake up the sleeping boy, but it’s fruitless. The second he opens the back door and reaches in to unbuckle the car seat, Levi is blinking sleepy eyes open and gazing up at Theo through his ridiculously long eyelashes. “Daddy,” he mumbles, making grabby hands for Theo, who pulls the boy out of his car seat and balances him on his hip before he retrieves his duffle bag from the floorboards and swings it over his other shoulder.

“You want your blankie, baby?” Theo asks quietly, grabbing the soft yellow blanket that was previously covering Levi and offering it to him, who simply nods and then buries his head into Theo’s neck tiredly. Handing the blanket to Levi, who clutches it like it’s the most important thing in the world, Theo kicks the car door shut with his foot and then heads into the building to check in.

The motel room is small, and a thousand smells assault Theo’s nose at once, but for the most part it’s clean, albeit kind of dingy, so it’s fine. Theo sets his duffel onto the dresser carefully, not wanting to jostle Levi— who’s already fallen back asleep on his shoulder— too much. Gazing at the clock, Theo sees that it’s a lot later than he thought, and after driving all day, he needs sleep just as much as the two year old boy does.

He climbs into bed after kicking off his shoes and pulling off his shirt, settling Levi against his chest. The boy had never liked to sleep in a crib very much, but that was okay with Theo, because having his son safe next to him did a pretty good job of keeping the nightmares away.

Theo remembers when he would wake up in the dead of the night, sweaty and shaking, a scream dying on his lips. He remembers feeling like the real world wasn’t quite tangible enough in the dark, and his sister could be around any corner, leering at him and waiting to pounce.

He stills feels like that, sometimes. And he had thought that being back in Beacon Hills would make it worse, but it doesn’t, and subconsciously, he knows why.

Liam. Always, because of Liam.


	2. it won't kill you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo deals with his first day in Beacon Hills and an unwelcome surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this chapter is so late!! I wanted to write a couple days ago, but it was my exam week, so I've been totally swamped. I hope this makes up for it. Hopefully from here out I'll be updating twice a week? Don't sue me if that's a lie.

When Theo wakes up in the morning, it’s to blinding sunlight streaming in through the shoddy motel curtains and Levi tapping the side of his face with pudgy fingers. “Daddy,” the little boy sing songs, staring at him with emerald green eyes. “Hungry.”

Theo chuckles a little, catching Levi’s hand as it swoops down to poke him again. “Okay, we’ll go get breakfast,” Theo hums. While Levi does still have a pretty limited vocabulary, he definitely recognizes the word _breakfast_ , so he grins and begins to clap his hands together excitedly.

“Okay,” Levi repeats. “Okay, okay, okay.”

Theo remembers that there’s a diner downtown, one he stopped by every now and then back when he was a starving teenager, so he gets himself and Levi ready and then leaves the motel room behind for the day after making sure that he has everything he and Levi need. Theo hopes that today will be the day he meets up with Scott, but he’s honestly kind of scared to text the alpha and let him know that he’s in town. What he needs is a pretty big favor, and he’s not sure how Scott’s going to take it.

The bad blood would always be there, due to Theo’s past mistakes; but it’s been a while, and despite leaving immediately afterwards, he thinks he really did help with the Ghost Riders and the Anuk-Ite. So hopefully Scott’s in a forgiving mood when Theo lays everything out for him.

He’ll bring Levi to the meeting, too. Who could say no to that adorable face? Maybe Theo is a little bit biased, but he thinks that Levi is the cutest baby in the entire world.

The bored-looking teenage girl standing behind the counter in the diner must disagree, because when Theo walks in carrying Levi, she groans outwardly. Theo doesn’t really blame her— it’s still early in the morning, and cleaning up after a messy baby isn’t very fun, which he knows from lots of experience. Levi may be a decently well-behaved kid, but he’s two years old, after all. Their apartment back in North Carolina had basically been a bomb site of toys and blocks.

The poor waitress shows them to a table and then brings over a high-chair for Levi, which Theo lifts him into. He quickly spots the paper kid’s menu and crayons lying on the table and immediately reaches for them, excitedly telling Theo, “Daddy! Colors!”

“Yeah, isn’t that cool?” Theo replies mindlessly, looking at his own menu. “Can we just get two plain waffles, please? Thanks.”

The waitress nods and shuffles away, so Theo turns back to Levi and helps him color in the pictures on the kid’s menu, narrating it as he does so in the hopes of continuing to expand Levi’s vocabulary. “...Now we’re gonna use brown for the dog. Which one is brown?” Theo asks, pointing to the pile of crayons. Levi hums, examining them seriously, and after a moment he grabs the brown one and holds it up questioningly. Theo grins and tells him, “Good job, buddy! That’s brown.” Levi smiles proudly, handing the crayon over to Theo to color with.

Theo adores moments like this with Levi, when he can make the little boy happy. He hopes he’ll never lose that ability, even as Levi grows up and realizes the harsh reality of the world around them— realizes the harsh reality of _his own_ life. He’s still far too young to understand what he is, and the horrible things that are waiting for him just because of it. Theo really doesn’t want that life for his son, the life that _he_ lived. He wants Levi to grow up like a normal kid, go to school, make friends, fall in love. Not run from hunters and any other baddies who think that their kind don’t deserve to live.

That’s why Theo knows that he needs to do this. So he works up his courage and, while Levi is preoccupied with his coloring, texts Scott.

_To: Scott McCall_

_Hi. I’m in town. Can we meet? Have something to talk to you about._

Theo hits send before he can change his mind. No backing out now; he’s really doing this. And all it takes is one glance at his son, scribbling away on the paper and shoving pieces of waffle into his mouth, to know that it’ll be worth it.

* * *

Despite how good the breakfast waffles were, there’s no way Theo’s going to feed his son diner food the whole time they’re here, however long that may be. So he stuffs Levi into a metal shopping cart and pushes him into the grocery store, squinting as his eyes adjust to the harsh fluorescent lighting, beginning to peruse the aisles.

Not a moment later, Levi gasps, thrusting a finger towards the produce section, enthusiastically shouting, “Daddy! _Sturberries!_ ” Knowing that Levi actually means _strawberries_ , his favourite fruit, Theo turns the cart around and grabs a box of them, tossing it into the cart. “Thank you,” Levi cheers.

“You’re welcome,” Theo smirks, proud that Levi remembered to say thank you. He’s only just started to learn more words than _daddy_ in the last couple of months, but Levi is his parents’ child, after all— of course he’s a bright kid. Theo is pretty much a genius, at least when it comes to science, and Lina had still been smarter than him.

But he doesn’t want to think about her right now. Theo doesn’t want to think about a lot of things, right now.

Like the fact that Mason Hewitt and Corey Bryant are standing in this aisle, chatting happily and comparing cereal brands.

Theo freezes, his mind racing. They haven’t seen him yet, but he’s standing at the end of the aisle like an idiot while he deliberates about what to do. He’s obviously not going to go up to them— but for a split second, he wonders ridiculously if Liam is here too, and then for another second, he debates just grabbing Levi and running for it.

“Daddy? Okay?”

Breaking out of his reverie, Theo’s eyes snap to Levi, who’s looking at him worriedly. His throat dries up as he sees, out of the corner of his eye, Mason and Corey turning their heads towards them.

“Y-Yeah,” Theo chokes out. “Okay.”

“Okay okay okay,” Levi chants, swinging his chubby legs up and down from his perch in the cart. When Theo still doesn’t move, stuck standing still in fear as he smells confusion radiating off the two people down the aisle in waves, Levi frowns. “Daddy, _go_.”

“Daddy?” a familiar voice questions skeptically. Theo sucks in a breath, steeling himself and wiping his face blank in the way that he used to do so often before looking back up to see Mason standing in front of him, an eyebrow raised, Corey right next to his boyfriend— Theo assumes they’re still together— with a similar look.

“Hey, guys,” Theo forces out awkwardly, fingers white-knuckled as he grips the cart tightly.

“Hi!” Levi grins, waving to the two men.

“Hi there,” Mason says to Levi, tone halfway to amused, before turning back to Theo and addressing his next question to him. “Who’s this?”

“Uh, this is Levi,” Theo explains slowly. Being faced with the two people from his past that he probably had the most awkward relationships with— Mason, because of that one time Theo wasn’t able to take his pain, and Corey, because of the whole making-him-a-Chimera thing— has thrown him way off his game. “Levi Raeken. My… son.”

Corey’s eyes widen comically, and Mason’s eyebrows shoot up so high that Theo actually suspects they might just fly off his head.

“Sorry, what?” Corey gapes in disbelief. Theo doesn’t blame him for being surprised; three years ago, this definitely wasn’t the way he saw his life going, either.

Grimacing, Theo repeats, “My son.”

There’s a pause, and then Mason is laughing, probably at the absurdity of it all; but it makes Theo feel even more ridiculous, so he hardens his gaze and his voice, saying, “Well, it’s been fun catching up, but-”

“Theo, wait wait wait,” Corey hurriedly cuts him off, stepping in front of the cart so he can’t move anywhere. “Mason, stop laughing.”

“I’m sorry, this is just- wow.” Mason inhales deeply, getting his bearings. “It’s good to see you, man, but- son? Wow.”

“I’m glad you find it so amusing,” Theo spits out coldly. It’s a tone of voice he’s made an effort to never use in front of Levi, but he doesn’t like being laughed at, especially not by Mason. Not by Liam’s best friend.

Levi notices Theo’s sudden change of behavior, and wraps his little fingers around his father’s hand in an adorable effort to calm him down. “Daddy,” he whines. “Okay?”

Theo softens immediately, unable to keep up his resolve around Levi. “Yeah, baby,” he says, leaning down to press a quick kiss to the boy’s forehead. “I’m okay.” Levi looks unconvinced, but nods anyways.

“That was so cute,” Corey gushes. “He’s so cute.”

The mood has shifted now, air not quite as thick with tension, and both Mason and Corey are looking at Levi with soft smiles, which eases Theo a little bit. He lets a smirk fall on his face, and says, “Well, he is my son, isn’t he?”

Mason snorts, but he’s still grinning when he replies, “Man, you haven’t changed at all.”

Theo pauses, but decides it must be a compliment, or else Mason definitely wouldn’t be smiling. “You two haven’t either,” Theo agrees. “Levi, this is Mason and Corey. They’re- uh- _friends_ of daddy’s.”

Neither man protests to the label, which is a relief. Theo isn’t quite sure what to call them, honestly. If Theo had stayed, they might have become close— maybe Theo and Liam would be together, and the four of them would go on double dates. But there’s no way to change the past, no matter how badly he wishes there was, and although the regret Theo feels for his choices is suffocating, they all lead him to Levi, which is exactly where’s he’s supposed to be. He knows that.

“How old is he?” Corey questions, the corners of his mouth turned up just slightly, eyes crinkling as he looks down at Levi.

“Just turned two,” Theo responds.

“Oh,” Mason interjects. “So, you’re- after you left, you… got busy right away.”

Rolling his eyes, Theo says, “It wasn’t like that.” Because it wasn’t. Theo was a heartbroken, guilty mess for months, and if it wasn’t for Lina, he probably still would be.

“Oh my god,” Corey cuts in. “Are you married?”

“What?” Theo narrows his eyes in confusion. “No. I’m not married. It’s just me and Levi.”

“So you’re doing the single dad thing?” Mason asks. “That’s kind of wild. ‘Cause we, you know, just finished our second year of college, Liam too—”

“Liam?” Theo can’t help himself. He tries to be nonchalant when he asks, but Mason and Corey both smile knowingly, so he was probably not quite as casual as he’d hoped. “How’s he, uh… how’s he doing?”

“Good, man,” Mason nods, smirking like they’re sharing a secret. “He’s studying history at UCLA, we’re both there too. And, you know, playing lacrosse like always.”

Something eases deep in Theo’s chest. Knowing that Liam is alright, that he’s doing the things he loves, it brings Theo a kind of peace that he doesn’t know he had been needing all this time. “That’s good. I’m glad.”

“Daddy?” Levi speaks up, tugging on Theo’s shirt sleeve. He’s been sitting patiently in the cart while the men talk, but he’s clearly starting to get a little antsy, as most two year olds do. “Hungry.”

“What?” Theo laughs. “We just had breakfast, buddy.”

“ _Hungry_ ,” Levi insists, frowning. His eyebrows pull together in an angry expression that reminds Theo hilariously of Liam. A lot of Levi’s mannerisms remind Theo of Liam, actually.

Theo sighs, nodding his head slightly, giving in as he always does with Levi. “Okay, just let me pay for these groceries, then we can go get lunch, alright?”

“You could come over to our place,” Corey suggests suddenly, face hopeful. “We’d love to cook for you guys.”

“We would?” Mason asks skeptically, but Corey shoots him a look and then he’s nodding too. “Yeah, of course we would!”

Theo appreciates the offer, but having lunch with Mason and Corey sounds painfully awkward and would take a lot of work on his part to ensure that Levi behaves, too. Plus the idea of hanging out with Liam’s best friends as if Theo’s been around this whole time and they’re all buddy-buddy, or as if he hadn’t tried to ruined their lives not so long ago, just sounds… halfway to horrifying, honestly. And Theo’s plan for his time in Beacon Hills definitely did not include reuniting and making amends with Mason and Corey.

It would be nice to have someone to talk to. But Theo’s not exactly a _sharing_ kind of guy, especially not with members of the McCall pack. (Except for Liam, he supposes. But that was a long time ago.)

So he shakes his head, and makes up a half-true excuse, saying, “Sorry, guys. I’m only in town for a little while, and I have stuff to take care of. But it was nice… catching up, I guess.” After a too-long pause, and a minor internal battle, he adds, “Tell Liam I said hi.”

Without looking back, Theo pushes the cart away and turns into the next aisle, leaving Mason and Corey behind in a way that’s painfully reminiscent of the last time he left them.

And just like last time, all he wants to do is turn back around. But he doesn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you all think? Not too underwhelming, I hope?


	3. (i don't care) what you've done wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo deals with some bad news, and the real reason he's back in Beacon Hills.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is kind of short and uneventful but it's really important! More things are beginning to be revealed.... enjoy :)

_From: Scott McCall_

_You’re in Beacon Hills? I’m still at Davis, but I’ll be home in a couple days for the summer. Is what you need to talk about important? Someone in trouble?_

Theo sighs as he reads the text message from the alpha, unsure how to respond. He should have thought about the fact that Scott might not be home from college yet, it’s only late May, after all. So it looks like he’s going to be stuck here for longer than he thought, and that’s pretty much the last thing he wants right now.

His run-in with Mason and Corey in the grocery store earlier has completely messed Theo up. Not like he wasn’t messed up before, but. In the last three years, he’s maintained a sort of arm’s-length mentality about the McCall pack. Because if he wasn’t thinking about them, then he could pretend they didn’t exist, and could ignore all the horrible guilt that he felt about leaving and everything else. Seeing Mason and Corey in person, though, and them acting as if Theo is an old friend they just haven’t seen in a while, has made that guilt resurface and now it’s eating at him. If he hadn’t already texted Scott, and if this wasn’t so important, he might have already packed up his things and left again.

_To: Scott McCall_

_No one’s in trouble. I can wait a few days._

The only thing that makes Theo feel a little bit better about leaving three years ago is Levi. Because if he hadn’t left Beacon Hills, then he wouldn’t have met Lina, and he wouldn’t have Levi. But then he remembers how much it _hurt_ to leave, and how much it probably hurt Liam. And then he’s back to feeling guilty again.

He hadn’t planned to leave after the battle in the hospital. Honestly. That moment with Liam in the elevator had clicked everything into place, in a way, but Theo wasn’t very good with emotions. Everyone who’d ever met him knew that, and taking Gabe’s pain had opened up a well inside him that he didn’t know how to close and that _scared_ him. It was all just too much— he had started spiralling, into a pit of self-doubt and worthlessness, and he couldn’t handle it.

Theo had hoped that Liam would have understood that, but he didn’t.

_Sitting on the curb outside the hospital, looking up at the dark night sky bedazzled with stars, Theo felt almost peaceful. But a war was raging within him, a storm inside his brain; one he didn’t know how to stop and didn’t think he deserved to._

_The sound of footsteps behind him broke Theo out of his reverie and he turned to see Liam ambling towards him, hands stuffed deep in his pockets. The beta flopped down onto the curb next to Theo, still not saying a word, and just joined him in looking up at the sky._

_Looking up at the stars had always brought a sense of calm to Theo, because even during his tumultuous childhood and what came after, they were a never-changing presence, a constant pillar of light for whenever the Dread Doctors allowed him out of the sewers for a moment and he could just look up and remind himself that there was a bigger world out there._

_Eventually, Liam broke the silence. “Would probably be nicer if there weren’t so many street lights.”_

_“Probably,” Theo agreed. “It’s still nice, though.”_

_Liam glanced over at him with a semi-bemused expression. “Evil Theo Raeken likes looking up at the stars? Who would’ve thought.”_

_“You still think I’m evil?” Theo couldn’t help but ask, looking anywhere but at Liam, voice as steady as possible as he anticipated the answer. If Liam said no, it might loosen the jumbled mess of his thoughts a little bit._

_“Of course I don’t,” Liam replied, one eyebrow furrowed in confusion. “I mean, you’re still… you, obviously, but you’re getting there. I don’t know anyone who could have done what you just did with Gabe.”_

_Theo huffed, turning his gaze down to his lap, fiddling with his fingers in a nervous tic that he’d thought he had stamped out a long time ago. Liam hesitated a moment, slowly reaching over the gap between them, but when his hand finally grabbed Theo’s there was no reluctancy left at all, and he tangled their fingers together easily like he’d done it a thousand times before._

_The two boys quietly sat there on the curb holding hands for what was probably only a few minutes, but Liam’s thumb slowly rubbing circles over the back of Theo’s palm made it feel like hours. The touch would have been calming if not for the electric shocks that blazed on Theo’s hand at every spot where they were connected, like his body just couldn’t believe or accept what Liam was doing. That feeling did nothing to ease the mass of self-deprecating thoughts swirling inside Theo’s head._

_“I don’t think I deserve you,” Theo admitted after a while, forcing out the words as they burned on his tongue._

_Liam sighed like he knew it was coming, but his confidence never wavered as he looked into Theo’s eyes and said, “That’s okay. I’ll prove to you that you do.”_

_Shaking his head, Theo tried to pull his hand away, but Liam’s grip was ironclad. “You shouldn’t have to do that. You shouldn’t like me at all. I… I did so many horrible things, Liam, and not just to you and your pack.”_

_“But you’re different now,” Liam insisted. “I know you are. And I don’t care what anyone else thinks, before you say that.”_

_“Liam, I’m sorry,” Theo whispered, wincing as he spoke his next words. “I can’t do this. I can’t be with you, no matter how badly I want to.”_

_“Theo-” Liam started, voice wavering brokenly._

_“I think I have to leave,” Theo cut him off, finally ripping his hand free and standing up to put some space between himself and the beta. Tears began to fill his eyes, but he blinked them away quickly. “For good, I mean.”_

_“What?” Liam murmured breathlessly, something halfway to betrayal evident in his tone. “Theo, don’t do this. Don’t push me away.” He was standing too, now, begging desperately in the way that Theo had so hoped he wouldn’t._

_“I’m so sorry, Liam,” Theo muttered, letting the sorrow in his voice say what he couldn’t out loud. “I have to go.” (I don’t want to.)_

_Liam had tears streaming down his face now, but he made no move to wipe them away. Theo hated that this would be the last picture of the boy he would ever have in his mind, and he hated even more that those tears were because of him._

_Theo began to turn away, but Liam caught his wrist, anguished expression converting to indignation in a split second. “That’s it?” the beta spit out furiously. “You’re just going to walk away, like a coward? After everything?”_

_“I’m not a coward,” Theo hissed, getting angrier as Liam did— they always were good at riling each other up. “This is what’s best for you. All I’ve ever tried to do is what’s best for you.”_

_“So stay,” Liam demanded, voice nearing a shout now. “What’s best for me is for you to stay. I want to be with you, Theo.”_

_“Well, you shouldn’t,” Theo retorted, yanking his wrist out of Liam’s grip with a sense of finality. “Goodbye, Liam.”_

_Theo wished that the boy would scream obscenities at him as he walked away, to make it easier, but he didn’t. Instead, Liam’s soft sobs echoed in Theo’s ears for a long while even after he drove away, and for the first time in as long as he could remember, Theo let himself cry too._

Theo doesn’t like looking up at the stars much anymore. They remind him of that moment, that night, without a doubt the turning point of his life— because no matter how much he wishes he could have stayed, and been with Liam, leaving gave him Levi. And he wouldn’t trade that for anything.

That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt, though.

* * *

Levi is getting restless stuck in the motel room, so Theo decides to take him down to the preserve and go for a walk. He has a lot of bad memories of these woods, of hiding his car deep within a cluster of tall trees in the hopes that he won’t be spotted by the police; but he has good memories too, of running in his wolf form and just feeling… free, for the first time in his life.

The sun is just setting by the time they get there, casting a golden orange glow all around and making it easier for Theo to see where he’s going as he leads Levi down the path further into the forest. The little boy clutches onto his hand tightly in the unfamiliar territory, forcing Theo to walk slowly so that he can keep up on his stubby legs.

As the sky darkens, Theo lets his chimera eyes glow in order to be able to see, and he swoops Levi up into his arms so that the boy isn’t stumbling around blindly. Levi babbles something that sounds vaguely similar to _dark_ , not quite getting the word out properly, but Theo understands what he’s attempting to say, so he turns to head back the way they came.

In Theo’s arms, Levi is making little whining noises, wiggling around like he’s trying to get comfortable. He squishes closer to Theo, his breathing quickening all of a sudden. Theo can hear the boy’s rapid heartbeat, so he stops walking in order to bring Levi nearer and asks, “Are you okay, buddy?”

“No,” Levi whimpers, covering his face with tiny fists like he’s shielding himself from something. “Feel funny.”

Theo furrows his eyebrows, mind immediately going into overdrive. He doesn’t think there’s any way that Levi could be getting sick, except Theo doesn’t know what else could be making him feel weird… unless.

One glance upwards and Theo’s stomach drops out sickeningly. The full moon shimmers brightly in the sky, and to anyone but Theo it might have been beautiful; however, it fills him with dread like a lead pit settling in his chest. How could he have forgotten that there was a full moon tonight? He’s been too selfishly preoccupied, thinking of Liam and his past when he should have been focusing on Levi.

The boy squirms in his arms more wildly now, a small cry emitting from his hiding spot in the crook of Theo’s neck. Frustrated with himself for causing his son unnecessary pain, Theo kneels down on the ground to rest on his haunches and wraps his arms more tightly around Levi in the hopes of calming him down and this whole thing passing quickly.

It’s futile, though. Theo knows it is. When Levi’s struggling stop suddenly, and he lifts his head from Theo’s shoulder, his eyes are glowing gold, and his tiny teeth have sharpened into fangs. Theo holds his breath, loosening his grip around the boy, anticipating the explosion as Levi meets his eyes and no familiarity registers.

And oh, does the explosion come. It always does.

Levi— or the rabid part of Levi’s brain that has taken over thanks to the moon’s influence— begins thrashing violently, and despite Theo’s strength he’s unable to hold on. After pulling free, Levi immediately breaks into a sprint, back into the forest before Theo can even blink.

He can’t believe that he forgot it was a full moon tonight. He _never_ forgets, not since Lina.

Controlling Levi on a full moon is always incredibly difficult, due to the circumstances, but being in the preserve will without a doubt make it even worse. The nemeton is out here somewhere, and who knows what other creatures— Theo really didn’t think this through. What if Levi gets hurt? What if Levi hurts someone else?

He’s faster in his wolf form, so he transforms, leaving his clothes discarded on the forest floor, and then he speeds off after Levi. The boy could be anywhere by now; he’s much quicker than Theo as he’s so small, and real wolves are faster than chimeras anyways so Theo’s at a double disadvantage. Thankfully, he has a better sense of smell when in wolf form, so that makes up for it a little bit.

It surprisingly doesn’t take him as long as he thought it would to find Levi. The boy is still running, eyes alight and claws extended dangerously. Theo attempts to corral him, but that only serves to anger the small wolf even more, and he gnashes his fangs in a warning. Growling lowly every time Theo gets too close, it’s clear that Levi is completely lost to his wolf for the time being. Luckily, Theo’s gotten good at keeping him trapped in the few times he accidentally got out on other full moons, so he’s able to subdue Levi.

They’re stuck in a stalemate for hours, Theo leaping forward and snapping his jaw threateningly whenever Levi moves too much, and Levi swiping his claws whenever Theo gets too close. He hates that he has to do this, hates that this is what it takes to keep Levi under control, because growling at his own son is definitely not on the list of things Theo likes to do.

Morning comes soon enough, though, and the rising sun causes Levi’s claws and fangs to gradually disappear as his eyes flame out in the green irises that Theo loves so much. He morphs back to human, too, so that he can comfort Levi the second the fog lifts from his brain and he comes back to reality.

When a confused look settles on Levi’s face, Theo knows that his sense has returned. “Hey, baby,” he says quietly, extending his arms and Levi throws himself into them without hesitation.

It’s times like this that Theo is actually grateful that Levi doesn’t remember his shifting. Because instead of feeling shame for almost hurting people, or for _actually_ hurting people, Levi just sleepily droops his head onto Theo’s shoulder and is out like a light within seconds as Theo walks back to where he left his clothes and dresses himself.

Theo feels like he can finally breathe again, now that Levi is back to himself. Full moons are never fun, but usually Theo can just stay with the boy in his bedroom and keep watch over him while he shifts. But something about the supernatural force around Beacon Hills made this one particularly bad, and being out in the open definitely didn’t help.

Levi is getting closer to feral as time passes. He’s a born wolf, so he needs a proper pack, but instead all he has is a single chimera, and it’s not enough.

That’s why they’re in Beacon Hills. That’s why Theo’s going to ask Scott for the bite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we get into the fun stuff, so I hope you're all excited for that. Leave a kudos or a comment if you enjoyed maybe?


	4. find what you're looking for

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one thing that Theo didn't want to happen, happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't abandoned this story, I promise! I'm sorry and I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.

After that nightmare of a full moon, Levi is completely passed out, snoring softly in his car seat as Theo drives to the nearest open coffee shop to pump himself full of caffeine. He’s pretty much an expert at running on no sleep, but once Levi awakens from his post-shift nap, he’ll be full of energy, and there’s no way Theo will be able to handle that unless he downs a mug of coffee as big as his head.

The bakery in town that he used to visit quite frequently is thankfully already open despite it still being so early in the morning, and Theo pulls in to a space in the surprisingly almost full parking lot. When he opens his car door, a strong scent floods his nose and he almost staggers with the sheer force of it, but quickly regains his bearings, and attempts to place it. It’s familiar, vaguely, but Theo doesn’t know what it could be. The overwhelming and yet comforting smell of coffee beans and pastries is masking it well, and after being around only Levi for so long, it’s a little harder for Theo to decipher scents now anyways.

He deduces that the only possible explanation is that the scent belongs to the shop owner, a nice lady named Ruth. Theo used to hang around the coffee shop enough that he got to know her a tiny bit, so it’s not unreasonable to assume that her scent would be a familiar one to his chimera.

Brushing it off, Theo opens Levi’s door and carefully pulls the boy out of his car seat. He doesn’t even stir, settling onto Theo’s shoulder with ease, still completely knocked out after the draining night he had. Theo doesn’t blame him, if he could he would be sleeping right now too.

He crosses the sidewalk to pull open the glass door of the coffee shop, only able to use one hand as Levi’s still a dead weight in the other. It strikes Theo how ridiculously comfortable all this feels, going through Beacon Hills and visiting the places that he had frequented when he was a teenager here. The diner, which he’d gone to for breakfast whenever he had a little extra money and was just too hungry to have only his usual protein bar; the grocery store, which he used to walk through and buy practical things like packaged veggies and microwave dinners while simultaneously wishing that he could afford things like name brand items and sweets.

Whenever he thinks about that time in his life, Theo is reminded of just how important Liam’s companionship and almost-friendship was to him. Living that miserable existence, working his ass off just to be able to afford to wash his clothes at the laundromat, it was nothing that he didn’t deserve, but he thinks that he might have felt even more worthless if Liam hadn’t invited him on those pack missions like he was an actual asset to them.

Theo remembers that night in the animal clinic, after they’d been banished from Beacon Hills by Monroe and her hunters, curled up in dog blankets on the cold floor of the back room with the McCall pack and quietly chatting with Liam while the others dozed off. Liam had just begun to say something about travelling to Greece if they made it out of this alive when he’d cut off abruptly and shot upwards, an idea already forming in his mind.

As Liam told his plan to the rest of the pack, Theo noticed the way that the beta had so casually included him in it, as if it was obvious that Theo would be the one that would help him. Theo was even more surprised when no one offered up any disagreements, instead patting Liam on the back for his creative thinking and then mastering a plan of their own to break into the hunter’s warehouse meanwhile.

That feeling of being needed, of someone actually wanting his help— even more, because it was _Liam_ who wanted his help— it was the best feeling in the world.

Looking back, Theo thinks that the day in the zoo was the day he truly fell in love with Liam, not just because the beta was the only person who’d ever made him really feel worth something, but because he got to see Liam for who he was, an angry, brilliant, beautiful boy, who punched first and asked later, who had a heart as big as his personality, and who believed in Theo enough to _let_ him see all that.

Liam and Lina were the only people who ever believed in Theo like that. It kills him that he lost them both.

But he’s not going to lose anyone else, he reminds himself as he looks down at Levi resting on his shoulder, deep in sleep. The boy still doesn’t even flinch when Theo enters the coffee shop and the noises of various chatter from patrons and a kettle steaming surround his senses. The scent he’d caught outside is even stronger in here, but when he spots Ruth bustling around behind the counter and it seems to be coming from her direction, he assumes he’d been correct in assuming it was hers.

That is, until he spots a man with dark blond hair grown out long enough to curl around the nape of his neck standing at the front of the queue. He’s barely an inch shorter than Theo, and dressed in a raggedy denim jacket that hangs around his muscular shoulders loosely. Theo can only see the man’s back from here, but it would be impossible for him to not immediately recognize who this is. There’s absolutely no mistaking it— the man is Liam. He’s here. He’s standing ten feet from Theo.

To say that Theo feels all-consuming panic as he watches Liam give his order to the cashier would be an unfathomable understatement. The horror that had spread through him like poison when he’d run into Mason and Corey yesterday is absolutely nothing compared to this; Theo feels pretty much like he’s swallowed several knives and they’re cutting up his insides more with every passing second that he seems unable to tear his eyes away from Liam.

The beta has bruising dark circles underneath his impossibly blue eyes, but other than that, he’s as smiley as ever, grinning at the cashier as he hands his money over. The last three years have clearly been kind to him; he seems more relaxed, somehow, worry lines faded from his forehead after, presumably, a lull in supernatural drama. Theo remembers how wound up Liam always used to be, looking over his shoulder every second of every day, but now, his movements are casual and easy as he takes his receipt from the cashier and turns away from the counter.

_Shit shit shit_ is the only reasonably coherent thought running through Theo’s mind as Liam’s line of sight falls directly on him. The beta locks up immediately, eyes splitting open like he doesn’t trust what they’re seeing, and he fumbles to catch his phone after dropping it in complete shock.

Theo knows how totally horrified he probably looks, still standing in the doorway of the coffee shop with a wide-eyed look on his face and his baby boy cuddled up in his arms. But it’s comforting to see how thrown off Liam is as well, and it allows him to compose himself a little bit and wipe his face blank even though his brain is still short-circuiting.

They meet eyes again, and Theo’s heart clenches painfully. He thought he knew how much he missed Liam, but seeing him here, in real life, it makes him look back on the last three years and wonder how he ever did it without the beta.

Staring at each other awkwardly, both attempting to give each other nonchalant once-overs, it’s all pretty pathetic. Theo wants to go up to Liam and just throw his arms around the beta and ask him how he’s doing. But he’s waiting haltingly for Liam to say something first, so that he knows exactly how to approach this situation. If Liam is furious with him for leaving, then he’ll be apologetic. If Liam is simply confused, then Theo will offer answers. If he’s happy to see him, then— well, that would be preferable, because despite the denial that’s been rattling around in his head for the past two days, Theo is ecstatic to see Liam.

“H- Hey,” Liam stutters out, taking a step towards him. “You’re… you’re here.”

“Yeah, I am,” Theo nods, moving closer to the beta as well. Even after all this time, they’re magnetic, unable to stray too far from each other. “I thought that Mason and Corey would’ve told you already.”

A wave of confusion rolls off Liam, flooding Theo’s nose. “They knew you were coming?”

“No, no, they didn’t,” Theo rushes to explain. It’s a little bit ridiculous how unhinged he feels right now, given how put together he always used to be. “I sort of ran into them yesterday. I… don’t know why they didn’t mention it.”

“We were a little too busy yesterday to talk about our days,” Liam shugs, lowering his voice. “Full moon, you know.”

“I know,” Theo agrees, unconsciously glancing back down at Levi who thankfully has remained asleep. Liam follows his eyes, and blinks like he’s just noticed the boy for the first time.

Furrowing his eyebrows, and making a face like he knows he’s going to regret asking, Liam says, “Is that a baby?”

“Uh, sort of… He’s two. So, kind of a baby,” Theo elaborates.

“And he’s yours? Your… baby?” Liam forces out the words in bewilderment, his eyes widening even further if that’s possible. Theo knows how totally absurd it probably sounds to Liam, who has no idea what Theo’s been up to the past three years. Even if he did know, it would probably still be unbelievable. Admittedly, Theo wasn’t exactly the nurturing type back then. Levi changed everything, changed Theo, and Liam has no idea.

“Yeah,” Theo says after a too-long pause and a deep breath that he hopes wasn’t too obvious. “This is my son, Levi.”

Liam gapes at him, looking between Theo and Levi like he doesn’t believe it. It’s probably a reasonable reaction, but it leaves Theo standing there awkwardly for several seconds while Liam sorts his thoughts out. “I thought you were gay.” Liam finally speaks up.

Theo blanches, blinking at Liam in confusion. That’s definitely not what he was expecting Liam to say. “I am. How did you…?”

“I mean…” Liam starts, fumbling with his words as he tries to backtrack over his blunt statement. “You liked me, and I never saw you with any girls, or anything, so I just… guessed.”

“Oh,” Theo nods. “Well, you were right. Levi, he’s not biological. But he’s still my son.” The first half of his statement comes off as slightly embarrassed, but he makes an effort to harden his voice at the last part. He’s not going to let anyone tell him he’s not Levi’s dad just because they don’t share blood. Levi is everything to Theo. He thinks that even though he wasn’t the one who donated the genes, he was always meant to be Levi’s father. Lina had thought that, too.

Liam’s eyebrows pull together again, and he looks so adorably confused that it makes Theo’s chest hurt. “So you left me, went off to god knows where, and then adopted a kid?” The tone of his voice is underlyingly bitter, but Theo knows Liam too well to not pick up on it, and it reminds him of exactly why he didn’t want to see Liam in the first place. Because he did leave, and _of course_ Liam was hurt by it. In fact, Theo doesn’t know why Liam’s not literally punching him in the face right now, although it probably has something to do with the sleeping baby in his arms.

Theo can’t help but wince at Liam’s words. “I guess. Yeah.”

“You guess?” Liam scoffs, turning his head to the floor. The anger that had been questionably absent from their conversation thus far is creeping up now. When he glances back at Theo, his expression is steely and his eyes lack the warmth that they used to hold whenever he looked at the chimera. “What are you doing back here, Theo? You _left._ You said it was for good.”

“I thought it was,” Theo reasons. He hates the way Liam is looking at him right now, with so much contempt. “I need Scott’s help with something.”

“Scott’s still at Davis.” Liam shakes his head.

“I know. I’m waiting for him to get back,” Theo explains.

There’s a lull as Liam gulps and then opens his mouth again. “So you’re going to be here for a while, then?”

“Not a while. Just a few days,” Theo shrugs. He’s not sure nonchalance is quite the best way to approach this situation, but calm and collected is all Theo knows.

“And then you’re just gonna disappear again,” Liam mutters. His face flashes with hurt for a half a second that Theo doesn’t miss.

“I’m sorry,” Theo says, because he feels like he never said it enough, and he doesn’t know what else to say to Liam’s little broken voice.

“Don’t apologize,” Liam reprimands immediately, like it’s instinct. “I got it back then, and I get it now. I just wish we didn’t have to do this again.”

That makes Theo pause. When he left last time, he had thought that Liam didn’t understand why, and it almost breaks his heart more now that he realizes that Liam _did_. Of course he did. Liam always understood him, even when he barely understood himself.

Liam presses on while Theo’s lost in thought. “But I know you have to get back to your boyfriend, or husband, or whatever, so—”

“I’m single,” Theo cuts in, and it’s almost laughable how hasty he sounds, like this is the most important thing that he just has to correct. But Liam just looks at him expectantly, and he knows he has to tell the whole story, even though they’re still standing here in the doorway of the coffee shop. “Levi… When I left, I went all the way to North Carolina. I met this girl, Lina, a werewolf. She was—” he has to stop a second and take a deep breath before continuing. “She was hilarious, and badass, and _kind._ Kind enough to take me in. She was like my best friend.”

“And Levi’s hers,” Liam deduces, a dawning look falling on his face.

“Yeah. She had this awful boyfriend, and he left when he found out she was pregnant, and her family basically disowned her. So it was just us.” Theo trails off, not wanting to get to the part of the story that he hasn’t quite come to terms with yet. But Liam’s still waiting patiently, the tiniest of smiles on his face as he gazes at Levi’s sleeping form. “He was a couple months old when she… When hunters got her.” He chokes up a little, and Liam’s hand twitches like he wants to reach out. Theo wishes he would. “Liam, there were so many time when I wanted to—”

“Don’t,” Liam shakes his head. “We- we can’t go back, okay? Y-You have a _kid_ now. That’s… wow.”

Theo snickers a little at the phrase. “That’s what Mason said.”

“Sounds like him,” Liam agrees, the corner of his mouth twitching up. “Speaking of Mason. This is his coffee. He stayed up all night to keep an eye on me, so I should…” _Go._ That’s how the sentence is supposed to end, Theo knows it, but it looks like Liam doesn’t want to leave, and he doesn’t want the beta to leave, either, despite all the mixed feelings swirling around in Theo’s gut about being near him, which is surely mutual.

A part of what Liam said registers, and Theo looks at him concernedly. _Keep an eye on him?_ “Are you still having trouble with control?”

Liam presses his lips together and shrugs. “I did. For a while. You were my anchor, you know?” A lump forms in Theo’s throat when Liam confirms it, even though he’s really known all along. “So when you left…” It goes unsaid, what Liam is getting at. After all his struggles with getting his anger and his wolf under control, Theo ruined it all by leaving. Another reason to regret what happened. “Anyways, Mason’s my anchor now. So I’m okay. But full moons are still rough.” Liam gestures vaguely to his disheveled appearance.

“Yeah, for me too,” Theo frowns, checking on Levi again by instinct.

“Is he a born wolf?” Liam questions. “Cause of Lina?”

Theo nods, not trusting himself to answer verbally, because if he does he knows he’ll tell Liam everything, about Levi going feral, and the bite, and he wants to keep that a secret for as long as possible. It’s humiliating enough that he has to ask Scott for help, but if he’s going to do this, he wants it to be from a true alpha’s bite. He wants to be the best pack he possibly can be for Levi.

Liam must sense his apprehension, so he diverts the topic a little. “It’s bizarre. That you’re a dad, I mean. But not bad!” He rushes to correct himself before Theo can interrupt. “Just… bizarre.”

“I know,” Theo acquiesces, and lets a small grin flash on his face. “You actually seem less shocked than Mason, though.”

Liam cocks his head, his eyes falling on Levi again. “I don’t know. You just seem… natural with him, I guess. In general, you seem better.”

“Not better,” Theo corrects, because he can’t help himself. Liam has to know how much he regrets leaving, even if it did bring him Levi. “Just… the same.”

“The same?” Liam repeats, the corners of his mouth quirking up into a smile. “Cool. I’d say I’m… the same, too.”

The double meaning isn’t lost on Theo. Liam is indirectly telling Theo that he’s still in. And Theo wants to call him out on it, and say that he’s still in, too, no matter how much his brain screams at him that he shouldn’t be, but Liam continues on before he can. “I have to go. Since you’re sticking around to wait for Scott, maybe we could… get together to eat, or something.”

Theo’s unable to stop himself from agreeing. “Yeah. That would be great.”

“Great,” Liam responds, nodding, a full grin overtaking his face now. “I’ll see you around, then.”

“See you around,” Theo hurries to say, but Liam’s already gone, and now Theo’s just standing alone in this coffee shop wondering what the hell even just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this in like an hour so I'm not quite sure how I feel about it but if you liked it please leave a comment!


	5. how i met your mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo loses his mind a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing really happens in this chapter, just a bit more insight into how Theo's feeling, which I why I wanted to update so quickly. Please don't hate me if the next one isn't for a few days.

To say that Theo feels conflicted about having seen Liam again is without a doubt the greatest understatement of all time.

Seeing that the beta is okay, and that he’s exactly how Theo remembers him— albeit with longer hair— it draws up everything Theo used to feel, and still feels, for him. He knows that after all this time, and after everything he’s gone through, getting over Liam should be a lot easier than this. He should be able to just shut it out, like he used to with everything, but ever since Lina and Levi, turning off his emotions seems impossible.

Not that he’d want to; Theo likes that he can feel things without guilt now, he likes that it makes him a little bit more normal. So he almost doesn’t want to keep trying to get over Liam, he wants to embrace it, especially because when they ran into each other Liam had seemed… not excited, necessarily, but at least okay with being around Theo. _I’m the same_ , Liam had said. If that meant what Theo thinks it meant, then maybe this isn’t a bad thing. Maybe the reason Theo wasn’t quite as hesitant to come back to Beacon Hills as he should’ve been is because, deep down, he wants to undo the mistake he made by choosing not to be with Liam.

But then logic gets in the way, and shuts that part of Theo’s brain right up. He has a son, and far more important things to think about than his own relationship status, even if it is Liam. And what’s more, Theo plans to go back to North Carolina after all this is taken care of so that he can raise Levi in peace.

Over the last three years, Theo’s convinced himself that leaving was the right decision, even if some of the reasons don’t matter quite as much anymore. So he can’t let himself go back on that now just because he had a chance meeting with Liam in a coffee shop that stirred up old feelings.

If Lina were here, she would tell him to forget logic and just go for it. He knows, because that’s the advice she gave him three years ago, on the first night they met, just days after the fight in the hospital.

_Theo was pretty disheveled after hightailing it out of Beacon Hills and driving 3,000 miles across the country without so much as stopping to go to the bathroom, but he felt like drinking his sorrows away a little bit before finding a spot to park for the night. He knew that going to a bar was pointless, because his chimera abilities prevented him from getting drunk, yet there he was, sliding onto a stool and asking the bartender for the cheapest beer they had._

_The bartender was a girl with dark hair, dark eyes, and tan skin, probably around his age, although maybe a few years older since he was pretty sure people under twenty-one weren’t allowed to work in bars. She gave him a funny look, presumably because most people don’t come into a bar intending to spend as little money as possible, but reached behind the counter and popped open a bottle anyways._

_“On the house. You look pretty fucked up,” she said to Theo, handing him the beer and giving him a little grin that surprisingly looked more friendly than teasing._

_He cocked one eyebrow at her as he took a sip, letting the alcohol burn his throat before he decided to speak. “Great customer service. Do you give everyone compliments like that?”_

_“Just the cheap ones, who probably wouldn’t have tipped anyways,” she said, winking a little._

_Theo looked at her skeptically. She still hadn’t stopped smiling, and it was freaking him out a little. “I would’ve tipped,” he replied snarkily._

_“That was a terrible lie,” she laughed. “So what’s got you all messed up?”_

_“None of your business,” Theo snapped, taking a large swallow of his beer and wishing that it would actually affect him._

_“Honey, I’m a bartender, of course your problems are my business.” She shrugged off his defense easily, her smile getting even wider, if that was possible._

_Theo, however, scowled and narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m not going to spill my guts to someone who’s name I don’t even know.”_

_“It’s Lina,” she beamed, tapping a little plastic name tag attached to her shirt. Propping her elbows up on the bar, she leaned forward, looking genuinely curious as to what was going on inside Theo’s head. “Is it a girl? Boy? Parents? Job?”_

_“Boy,” Theo relented, her unabashed invasiveness getting to him quickly. “I messed up with the guy I like. God, that sounds so juvenile,” he winced, taking another sip of his beer._

_“No it doesn’t.” Lina shook her head immediately. “Tell me more. Seriously. I’ll help you.”_

_And so Theo did. He told her everything— except, of course, he omitted the parts about fighting supernatural hunters and taking the pain of a dying teenage boy who’d just shot at him. Theo wasn’t usually the type of person who would tell all his secrets to strangers, in fact, he was never that kind of person, but his head was spinning so much that it felt good to get it out, and Lina was a great audience. She didn’t make any comments, listening intently to the whole story, and when he finished, she paused in thought for barely three seconds before offering her opinion._

_“You’re being stupid,” she told him simply. “This Liam guy likes you, and you like him, so just forget about all the reasons why you shouldn’t be together when your heart has clearly already decided that you should.”_

_“I can’t afford to listen to my heart,” Theo muttered._

_“Why not?” Lina demanded. “Whatever idiotic reason you have to make yourself think that you don’t deserve him is definitely not enough to just run away.”_

_Deep down, Theo knew that she was right. But he wouldn’t let himself entertain that idea, instead just taking a swig of his beer and shaking his head like he was ridding himself of the thoughts. “It is. Trust me, it is.”_

_“If it’s that you’re supernatural, trust me, I get it. I’m terrified to tell my boyfriend that I’m a werewolf. But Liam sounds like a good guy, he would probably understand,” Lina remarked, ever so casually as if she wasn’t blurting out to a random stranger that she was a creature of the night._

_Theo reeled back at her sudden confession. “Did you just…”_

_Lina only grinned at him widely, her seemingly permanent toothy smile splitting across her face. “I could smell you from the second you walked in here. Your scent is weird, though, like a combination of something.”_

_“I’m a chimera,” Theo explained weakly. It was almost ridiculous, how Lina continued to shatter whatever expectations he had of her as they kept talking. She reminded him of Malia, almost, too blunt for her own good, but Lina was softer about it, and the easy smile never fell off her face._

_“Really? I’ve only ever heard rumours about chimeras,” Lina marveled, leaning in closer. “So what are you? Lion and scorpion? Jaguar and wendigo?”_

_“Wolf and coyote,” Theo chuckled. “Not quite as impressive, I guess.”_

_“Of course it’s impressive.” Lina waved off his self-deprecating comment without a second thought. “Can you do a full shift?”_

_“Yeah,” Theo affirmed hesitantly, not sure where she was going with this and not sure he wanted to know._

_Lina stared at him, like she was analyzing him, or something, and he shifted on the stool uncomfortably under her gaze. “I’ll tell you what,” she said after a moment. “Since you just drove here from fucking California and obviously don’t have a place to stay, I’ll let you crash with me.” Theo immediately opened his mouth to shoot her down, not wanting to accept charity from anyone, but she cut him off quickly. “But there’s a condition. You have to teach me to do a full shift.”_

_Theo raised an eyebrow at her skeptically. “You’re gonna let a complete stranger into your house?”_

_“It’s no different than getting a roommate off of Craigslist,” Lina reasoned. “And this way, I’ll get something out of it too.”_

_Theo locked eyes with her, glaring, but she stared right back challengingly. Admittedly, Theo really did need a place to stay, and Lina actually seemed pretty cool. That wasn’t the issue— it was the free-handout thing that he was hung up on; Theo didn’t like owing anybody, and despite her weak excuse about him teaching her to full shift, he wasn’t going to just take up space in her home without giving her anything for it. “Okay. Fine. But the second I get a job I’m paying rent.”_

_“Deal,” Lina agreed automatically, clapping a little and beaming obnoxiously at him. “There’s just one more thing, though… I don’t know your name.”_

_Theo huffed out a laugh. “It’s Theo. Raeken.”_

_“Nice to meet you, Theo Raeken,” Lina mused, holding her hand out over the countertop._

_Even though they were clearly way past shaking hands already, given that he’d already told her about basically his entire personal life, Theo still clasped his own in hers and couldn’t help but smirk a little at her antics. “Nice to meet you too.”_

Theo wishes he still had Lina to confide in. She was two years older than him, and always knew better than he did, especially when it came to feelings. She would’ve understood why Theo is so conflicted about this whole Liam situation.

Maybe he can just ignore it. He’ll just stop leaving his motel room— because it seems like every time he does something bad happens— and he’ll just wait it out until Scott gets back and then he can get the bite and leave again before Liam even knows he’s gone.

Except disappearing would be a really shitty thing to do, now that Liam, Mason, and Corey all know he’s here, and they all know about Levi, and they’ve all invited him to get together and catch up. Which is definitely not happening, but Theo had pretended like it might when they’d asked, so he can’t just fall off the face of the earth now… too bad.

Levi has finally woken up from his nap as well, which means he’s getting super antsy, and Theo would feel like a terrible father if he kept the boy locked up in the motel for the next however many days. So… braving it is really the only option here. It’s fine. Theo’s fine. He can handle it.

He wonders if Liam is freaking out this much too, if he’d called Mason or Scott in a panic, telling them about what had happened and asking about what he should do. Knowing the beta, he probably had, because he was honestly way too put together at the coffee shop other than his initial shock and, well, that’s just not fair when Theo is having a minor mental breakdown over here.

Levi notices it, too, as always. “Daddy? Okay?” the boy asks, looking up from his toy trains to Theo, who’s pacing the motel room nervously.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Theo hums, offering a soft smile that must sufficiently convince Levi, because he nods and turns back to his trains. “What are you playing there?” he squats down onto his haunches in front of Levi, who Theo had placed on top of a towel on the floor in order to avoid touching the grimy carperting.

“Choo-choos,” Levi informs him excitedly. “Look!” He takes two of his trains and crashes them together, making an accompanying explosion noise. It’s adorable, but Theo wonders how the hell Levi knows what an explosion sounds like. Probably from one of those weird cartoons he likes so much.

“Woah there,” Theo chuckles, pulling one of the trains out of Levi’s grasp. “You don’t want them to crash! Be gentle.”

“Gen...tle?” Levi tries out the word hesitantly, his eyebrows pulling together in confusion.

“Gentle,” Theo confirms, knocking the trains together as carefully as possible as an example. Levi _ohhhs_ in understanding, and then makes grabby hands for the train that Theo’s still holding onto. Passing it over, Theo watches with a tiny grin on his face as his son begins to play with the toys again, every so often bumping them together and giggling a little as he does.

Eventually, Levi ropes Theo into playing with him, and it actually helps him get his mind off of Liam for a little while, but later, after Levi is tucked in bed and asleep, Theo’s phone dings with an incoming message and he practically chokes on air after he reads it through.

_From: Liam_

_Hi I hope this is still your number. Tomorrow Mason Corey and me are gonna do a cookout thing since I’m all alone in my parent’s house until they get back from vacation this weekend, and I was hoping you would come? Levi too :)_

Theo’s thumbs seem to move without the consent of his brain, typing out a hasty _sure_ and then turning his phone off before he can change his own mind. He knows this is going to be a disaster, and that joining Liam for dinner is literally the one thing he told himself he wouldn’t do, but Theo’s not fooling himself or anybody else. Even back when they were teenagers, Theo was never able to ignore or say no to Liam, and apparently after three years he’s still having that same problem.

At least this time he’ll get free food for his efforts, instead of a few bullets in his body. Bright side, and all that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now you've officially met Lina! Let me know your thoughts :)


	6. can't take back the bullet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Half-awkward conversations and a love crisis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter fought me so hard, you guys. I really hope this makes up for the super long wait.

To put it simply, Theo is completely freaking out about the dinner tonight.

He really doesn’t know why he said yes. It’s going to be awkward, and horrible, and Levi’s probably going to have terrible manners. Except he still can’t say that he’s not looking forward to it, because he totally is. He’s going to have a chance to talk with Liam, to reconnect with him, and figure out what he’s been up to the past three years. And Mason and Corey, well, hopefully they’ll be a nice buffer and fill the silence in case things get too weird. Their false friendliness in the grocery store had at least shown Theo that they’re willing to tolerate him.

Levi is, apparently, looking forward to it as well. When Theo had told the little boy that they were going to have dinner with the people he’d met the other day, Theo really hadn’t expected Levi to have any clue what he was talking about, but the boy had actually clapped enthusiastically and begun to toddler-babble excitedly.

Maybe it isn’t going to be as bad as Theo thinks it is. That’s what he tells himself, anyways, as he pulls his truck up to the curb in front of Liam’s parents’ house and puts it in park. He remembers this house well, from the night of the zoo, when Theo had dropped the beta off at home and he’d, shockingly, invited Theo in to have a midnight snack together. Theo remembers being surprised when Liam had asked, but Liam had just shrugged and said _We still need to wait for news from the others_ like it was nothing. They’d sat on the floor of Liam’s kitchen, tossing Goldfish into each other’s mouths, snickering and trying to be as quiet as possible since Liam’s parents were asleep upstairs. Theo had never met the couple, but Liam had told him about them, mentioning that even though hunters and the Anuk-ite were running rampant around Beacon Hills, spreading fear, they never once turned against the supernatural or became suspicious of Liam. Theo hopes that sometime in the past three years Liam had come clean about being a werewolf to them— they deserved to know that their son was throwing himself headfirst into danger every night.

That’s precisely why Theo wants to stay away from Beacon Hills, because he doesn’t want Levi anywhere near all that. He can’t let himself get attached to Liam again; this dinner has to be a one-time thing. (Except he doesn’t even really believe himself when he says that.)

Theo hops out of the truck, fetching Levi from his car seat and swinging the boy up onto his waist. The walk up the pathway to the doorstep isn’t very long, but it’s just long enough to cause Theo to begin to really freak out about all this. What is he even doing? He almost turns back down the path, tempted to just get back in the truck and drive away before Liam even knows he’s here, but he doesn’t get a chance. The front door is thrust open, and Corey stands there with a smile, gesturing for Theo to come in.

“Uh, hey,” Theo greets lamely, stepping up onto the porch.

“Hi!” Levi chimes, waving at Corey with a tiny hand.

Corey waves back, smiling fondly at the boy, and then he turns his gaze to Theo and shakes his head with disbelief clearly written on his face. “Still so weird. Come on in.”

Theo brushes past Corey into the house, and can’t help but glance around. It looks exactly the same as it did three years ago, hallway cluttered with adorable framed photos of Liam as a baby, along with a new one of Mason, Corey, and Liam grinning widely in their red caps and gowns on their high school graduation day. A lump forms in Theo’s throat looking at that photo, wishing he could’ve been there.

“Liam and Mason are out back grilling. Do you want something to drink, or?” Corey offers as they walk through the hallway. The tone of his voice is nothing but kind, but Theo can still tell that the man is feeling pretty awkward about this whole situation, which he doesn’t blame him for at all.

“No, I’m good,” Theo declines. He turns his head to Levi and asks, “You thirsty, baby?”

Levi hums, debating, and places one of his hands on his chin like he’s probably seen Theo do while lost in thought so many times. “No. Hungry.”

Theo can’t help but chuckle at Levi’s mannerisms, which mirror his own so closely. “Dinner’s coming soon.”

“Okay,” Levi nods, satisfied.

“He’s well-behaved,” Corey muses as he watches the exchange between father and son.

Theo smiles wryly, because so far Levi is admittedly a pretty calm and respectful two year old, but he’s never really been around strangers before— just Lina and Theo— so who knows. “Yeah, we’ll see.”

Corey leads them through the house slowly, and Levi, who’s still perched in Theo’s arms, looks around wondrously as they pass through the living room— presumably because the only places he’s lived in that he remembers is their closet-sized apartment back in North Carolina and the even smaller motel room they’re staying in now.

Lina’s house, the one her and Theo had lived in together, had been pretty average-sized. But Levi doesn’t remember that, just like he doesn’t remember her, a fact that kills Theo whenever he turns on his phone and sees his lock screen wallpaper, a photo of him, Lina, and baby Levi, just a few weeks after he was born, laying down on a blanket in the park. Theo and Lina both look absolutely exhausted in the photo— thanks to baby Levi’s tendency to wake up screaming several times in the middle of the night— but it’s still Theo’s favourite photo of the three of them, because despite having such distinct dark circles under their eyes, they look _happy_ , Lina and Theo grinning down at Levi with stars in their eyes as he giggles in that adorable way that babies without teeth do.

Theo really wishes that Lina was here, raising Levi and watching him grow up. But even though Theo’s an atheist, he likes to believe that Lina’s watching over them from wherever she is now.

If she is, though, she’s probably judging him hard for being so anxious about all this. As they head towards the backyard, Corey in front, Theo feels hilariously like he’s marching to his death, knowing that Liam is barely ten feet away from him now. It was easier, somehow, yesterday in the coffee shop. He hadn’t been expecting to see Liam then, but now he is, so his head is swimming with all the things they might talk about.

When Corey pulls open the sliding glass door, Theo takes a baiting breath as his eyes fall on Liam, who’s standing by a grill with a spatula in one hand and a beer in the other, laughing at something Mason is telling him. He looks just as good as he did yesterday, except maybe less haggard, although his long hair still falls messily around his face and something tells Theo that’s a normal look for him.

“Theo’s here,” Corey calls, stepping down onto the stone patio and making his way over to Mason instinctually. Theo hangs back, standing hesitantly as Liam’s head whips towards him. A soft grin falls onto his face when he sees the chimera, and then his gaze slowly shifts to the left, spotting the little boy wrapped up in Theo’s arms. The smile on Liam’s face doesn’t falter, not even for a second, and he sets down his spatula and beer before coming up to them.

“Hey. I’m glad you came,” Liam says, actually sounding relieved.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?” Theo asks, raising an eyebrow mockingly. “It’s free food.”

Liam snorts a little, because he can definitely detect the heavy sarcasm in Theo’s voice, and then suddenly he’s turning towards Levi and beaming at him like he’s _not_ the beta’s ex-crush’s two-year-old son that he knew nothing about until yesterday. “What’s up, little man? I’m Liam,” the beta introduces himself. Theo almost suffocates with how endearing the gesture is. Liam could’ve easily just pretended Levi wasn’t there, or asked Theo not to bring him, but instead he’s greeting the boy with open arms, surprisingly not being scared off by the total ridiculousness of this situation at all. Theo has an embarrassing, fleeting thought that Liam would be a great dad someday himself, or maybe a stepdad… but he squashes it before he can dwell on it too much. Those are dangerous thoughts.

“Hi,” Levi says, his mouth upturning into a smile. “‘M Levi.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Levi,” Liam grins. He glances over to Theo, who’s watching their interaction with a small but stupidly happy smile plastered on his face, and then back to Levi. “Are you hungry?”

“Yeah!” Levi replies immediately, lurching forward in Theo’s arms like he’s forgotten that he’s being held. Theo catches the boy easily, but decides to set him down on his own two feet just in case. Levi can walk, obviously, and although he usually rathers to be carried by Theo, it’s probably better for him to not be six feet in the air when a tumble would mean cracking his head open on the stone patio.

“Woah there,” Liam snorts, holding his own arms out bracingly as Theo swings Levi down onto the ground. “Careful.”

“‘M okay,” Levi assures, smiling toothily up at Liam and Theo, who exchange eye-rolls almost perfectly in sync. It reminds Theo achingly of old times, when he and Liam were so in tune with each other, knowing exactly what the other boy would do before he did it. Theo’s not sure how he’s supposed to feel about the fact that they’re still the same way, even after all this time. “Food?” Levi asks, pressing on to the real issue at hand here.

“Yeah, of course,” Liam replies, blinking and drawing his eyes away from Theo like he’s just now remembering where they are. “You wanna go sit down? I can bring it to you.”

“Okay,” Levi agrees cheerfully, moving to turn away from them when Theo catches Levi by the shoulders and pulls the boy back against his legs haltingly.

“What do you say?” Theo prompts, his eyebrows lifting up hintingly at Levi.

The little boy catches on easily, well-rehearsed in using his manners, and looks back to Liam to say, “Thank you!” before wiggling out of Theo’s embrace and skipping off to the wooden table over by the grill where Mason and Corey have set out plates and silverware.

“Hey, don’t touch the knives,” Theo calls out after his son, just in case, even though he highly doubts that Levi will snatch up a steak knife from the table when no one’s looking and starting swinging it around, or any other similar dangerous situation that his mind can think up.

“Okay,” Levi yells back automatically as he clambers up onto one of the rickety metal chairs surrounding the table and pats his legs in excitement, waiting for food to be placed in front of him.

Theo can’t help but roll his eyes, but he’s still smiling, unable to feel upset or uncomfortable when his son is doing adorable shit like that. Liam must think so, too, because his eyes are sparkling in endearment when he looks back to Theo and says, “He’s really cute.”

“Yeah, he is,” Theo agrees. “Thanks for, uh- being nice to him, or whatever. I know it’s kind of strange.”

“It’s not strange,” Liam argues, but upon seeing Theo’s skeptical look he relents a little. “Okay, it’s a little strange. But not in a bad way. Of course I’m going to be nice to him.”

Theo is quiet when he says, “Thanks anyways. You really didn’t have to be.”

“Yes, I did,” Liam shrugs Theo’s insecurities off easily, just like always. “Just because you ripped my heart out and stomped on it, then disappeared for three years before rolling back into town with a kid, doesn’t mean I’m going to be rude about it.”

Blanching at the sudden confession, delivered completely casually by Liam, Theo is barely able to force out a choked-sounding _what?_ before Liam is strolling away nonchalantly, over to the grill so that he can take the burgers off for them to eat.

Theo is left standing, completely thrown off by how totally unaffected Liam was as he spoke about how Theo _ripped his heart out and stomped on it_ , apparently. It’s a little disarming, because of course Theo knew that he hurt Liam when he left right after they’d finally confessed their feelings to each other, but actually hearing it is a different story. Even yesterday in the coffee shop, Liam had seemed way too calm about all this, and Theo can’t help but wonder why.

Maybe because the beta is totally over him, and could genuinely not care less about Theo being back in town or about the fact that he has a son now. But then why would he have invited them to dinner? For closure, possibly, or just to be nice?

Theo really wishes that he could say that thought isn’t as upsetting as it actually is. Because he’s not over Liam, of course he’s not— how could he be?— and yet he knows that he has to leave again soon. So there’s nothing he can do about it, other than let himself wonder.

_Out of sight, out of mind... Total bullshit_ , Theo thinks. _Three years away from this dumb werewolf and I’m still madly in love with him. How’s that fair?_

Theo must look startled, as he coaches himself through his inner turmoil over his inability to get rid of his feelings for the beta, because Mason yells over to him, “Theo, man, food’s ready! You good?”

“I’m good,” Theo nods, snapping back to reality. He can have a love crisis later. Right now he just needs to focus on getting through this dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed even though it's super short. Next chapter will not be another two week long wait, I promise!


	7. if it means a lot to you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo comes to terms with a few things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short but important, as it's mostly more insight into Theo's thoughts as well as Even More dancing-around-the-subject with him and Liam. I hope you all enjoy!

No one seems super excited about getting conversation going at first, which Theo supposes he understands, although as more time passes it’s becoming borderline uncomfortable, the fact that the extent of noise that the four men are making as they eat is the vague clinking of silverware against plates. Theo would speak up, except he doesn’t actually know what he would say. So he just keeps his head ducked and eats his burger, keeping a careful eye on Levi, who barely reaches table level considering he’s not sitting in his high-chair. The boy shovels small pieces of burger into his mouth, munching happily and apparently not taking note of the suffocating unease from every person sat around the table above two years of age.

Mason ends up being the one to break the silence, surprisingly or maybe not. He cracks a joke about the food, and Liam’s werewolf tendency to cook it right on the line of too red, and then suddenly everyone’s joking around and the tension ebbs away. It’s actually nice, Theo decides, and even though he isn’t really contributing to the discussion very much, he’s having a good time laughing at the stories Mason and Corey tell about their escapades at college.

He hates how disappointed he feels when Levi yawns and leans slack against his side, his bedtime far past. Theo’s not so selfish that he would make his son fall asleep at the table, though, so he takes his leave. Liam leads him out of the house, like a good host, and waits by Theo’s truck while he straps Levi into his car seat so that they can properly say goodbye.

“I had fun tonight,” Theo says, to get the ball rolling. It doesn’t feel like a lie, which is almost worse than if it was, and puts an instinctual bad taste in his mouth.

“Me too,” Liam smiles widely. “It was nice to catch up, and stuff.”

“Yeah, it was,” Theo agrees, and can’t help but smile a little as well. Before he can convince himself not to, he adds, “I’ve missed you. Talking to you.”

Liam’s grin falters in shock, but a second after Theo’s words register it comes back, even more blinding. “I didn’t think you would ever admit that.”

“I didn’t either,” Theo scoffs.

“I’m glad you did,” Liam nudges him playfully. “I missed you, too. I wish you weren’t leaving again.”

The beta’s words drive into Theo’s chest like a stake. It’s silent for a moment, and the smile drops off Liam’s face like he already regrets saying it. Theo isn’t quite sure how to feel, or what to respond. He wishes he wasn’t leaving too, and honestly, he really doesn’t have to. North Carolina has just as many bad memories tied to it as Beacon Hills does, now that Lina’s gone. And Los Angeles, where Liam goes to school, well… no bad memories at all. But he can’t let himself think like that, no matter how badly he wants to. He can’t just upend Levi’s life to chase after some guy. ( _No, not some guy. Liam. The man you’re totally head over heels in love with._ )

Eventually, Theo settles on saying, “Well, I’m in town for a few more days while I wait for Scott to get back. So maybe we can meet up again.”

“Wait, why _are_ you waiting for Scott? You never said.” Liam steers the conversation in a different direction, one that Theo doesn’t really like, but is still objectively better than the former.

Besides, Liam’s going to find out anyway, if Scott says yes. They’d be pack, the alpha would have to tell him. So why not rip the bandaid off earlier, and avoid any potential backlash from Liam for not telling him later on? A deep breath, and then Theo says, “I’m asking Scott for the bite.”

Liam blinks. “You’re serious?”

“Yeah. Levi and I need a pack, or he’s going to go feral. And I… I figured, no better pack than a true alpha’s.”

“Oh.” Liam is obviously thrown off, but after a moment his face relaxes and he shrugs, like he’d just worked through it in his head in the last ten seconds and decided it was okay. “That’s a good idea.”

Theo does a double take. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Liam nods a couple times, like he’s convincing both himself and Theo. “And then we’ll be pack, so that’s cool.”

“I don’t even know if he’s going to say yes,” Theo replies skeptically, to keep expectations realistic.

“Of course he’s going to say yes. He’s Scott.”

“But after everything, I really don’t expect him to do me any favors,” Theo insists.

“God, Theo, after three years, you still haven’t accepted the fact that we’ve all forgiven you, even Stiles and Malia, no matter how much they like to pretend that they haven’t?” Liam remarks exasperatedly, as if it’s no big deal, while Theo almost trips on air at the words.

“W-what?” He stutters, eyes wider than saucers, caught up on that word. _Forgiven._ It’s not a word he ever, ever, expected to hear, especially not in relation to the McCall pack.

Liam smiles softly, knowing almost telepathically how hard it is for Theo to hear him say that. “Of course you’re forgiven, Theo. I mean, no one’s going to forget what you did. But you’ve more than redeemed yourself by now. And I think we’d all kind of be hypocrites if we let Peter Hale walk around free and still call you a bad guy.”

Theo chokes out a laugh, unable to help himself. “Well, that’s… that’s good to know.”

“Another thing that might be good to know,” Liam starts hesitantly. “I told them, about us. About that night at the hospital, and what happened. So, you know, they’ve all made their peace with that too. Just in case it becomes an… issue, again.”

It’s Theo’s turn to blink in surprise. A smirk settles on his face, a natural reflex, and despite the teasing tone he’s serious when he asks, “Are you coming on to me, Dunbar?”

Liam’s grinning cockily, and he huffs out a laugh before leaning forward quickly and planting a sweet kiss on Theo’s cheek. It happens so fast that he doesn’t register it until it’s over, when Liam’s already saying “Goodnight, Theo,” and rushing back towards his house.

Theo remains on the street, standing dumbfounded until Levi breaks out into a tired wail from the backseat and shakes him from his reverie. “It’s okay, baby, we’re going home,” Theo comforts as he climbs into his truck and sets off toward the motel.

What’s strange, though, is that it doesn’t feel like they’re _going_ home. It feels like they’re driving away from it.

* * *

_From: Scott McCall_

_Leaving Davis soon, gonna be home late tonight. Should we meet somewhere for breakfast tomorrow?_

It’s a text from Scott that Theo wakes up to, and his chest tightens unwelcomingly when he realizes that if Scott is coming home, then that’s it. Theo will ask, and he’ll either get the bite or he won’t, and then he’s leaving again.

Theo hates that Liam is the first thought that pops into his head. The beta’s smile, and his blue eyes that shimmered in the street light last night when he told Theo that he was still open to the idea of _them._ Or, at least, that’s what Theo thinks it meant. He almost wishes that they could drop all the coy talking around the subject, and just lay everything out on the table.

Except Theo doesn’t know what he would lay out, if that was the case. After his crisis at dinner last night, he’s officially done trying to convince himself that he’s over Liam, but is he honestly ready to jump back into a relationship with him, or even at the very least admit that out loud? And if he could, is it fair to Levi?

Too many questions and not enough answers— Theo’s least favourite feeling in the entire world, second only to guilt, probably.

Lina would tell him that he’s overthinking this. To just let the situation unfold, and take it as he goes. It’s most definitely sound advice, given Theo’s automatic tendency to analyze every facet of the series of events that is his life. But that’s just it, it’s automatic. The Dread Doctors drilled into his skull that knowledge is power.

(He doesn’t want power anymore, of course. But he still would like to have some sort of handle on this steep precipice that him and Liam are steadily tip-toeing towards.)

Admitting that maybe he should just tell Liam how he feels, and then leave the ball in his court, is a thought that is, of course, terrifying. And yet is somehow seems like the best option here.

“Hey, buddy?” Theo speaks up, after anguishing silently in his head for the last hour as he distractedly plays trains with levi.

“Yeah?” Levi replies, looking up from his toy to meet Theo’s eyes.

“Do you remember the man you met yesterday? Liam?”

“Hmm, yeah,” Levi nods, his head tilting to the side as he anticipates what Theo’s going to say next. It’s an adorable gesture, and is uncannily similar to Liam’s own confused expression.

“Did you think he was… I don’t know, cool?” Theo struggles for a better word, but Levi seems to understand what he means.

“Yeah. Liam cool,” Levi grins toothily, his tongue poking out. “He play trains?”

Chuckling, Theo leans down to press kisses all over the top of Levi’s head. “Maybe if you ask really nicely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will hopefully be coming in just a few days... get excited. It's a big one.


	8. ease my mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conversation happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're nearing the end, you guys! This chapter is pretty short and to-the-point but I hope you enjoy anyways.

Malia Tate, for all her fronting about pulling her own eyes out Scott-style if she ever saw Theo again, absolutely melts when she sees Levi.

Theo didn’t think she was coming to their meeting, and Scott had looked almost apologetic about it when he walked into the diner and greeted Theo, Malia following him just a moment after. Theo assumed it would be a dent in his plan, a little harder to ask what he needed to with Malia glaring holes into his skull, but surprisingly, she softens up almost immediately when Levi waves adorably at them and introduces himself.

(Theo can’t blame her. Levi is pretty freaking cute.)

“So, clearly, you have not at all been up to what I thought you would be these past few years,” Scott laughs, glancing disbelievingly at Levi, who’s munching on little pieces of cracker that Theo reaches over to break up smaller for him.

“What did you think I was going to be doing?” Theo asks skeptically.

“Plotting,” Malia interjects, blunt as always. Her tone is missing the harshness that it used to, though, which throws Theo for a loop. Maybe Liam really was right, maybe they don’t hate him like they used to.

“That’s fair,” Theo nods.

“So, are you married, or…?” Scott trails off, attempting half-heartedly to change to subject. Ever the peacemaker.

“No, it’s just me and Levi,” Theo explains, and at the mention of his name, Levi looks up at Theo questiongly. Theo can’t help but grin, ruffling the boy’s wildly curly hair which makes him snicker before turning back to his crackers. “And that’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about,” Theo says, taking a deep breath. The smile slips off his face, a sign that they need to get serious now.

“Yeah, you seemed pretty concerned in your texts,” Scott takes his cue, leaning forward in interest. “Is everything alright?”

“Not exactly,” Theo admits. “Levi, he’s a born wolf. Got it from his mom, who is— was my best friend. She’s gone now. And, uh, since I’m a chimera, I guess I don’t really count as _pack_ to Levi’s wolf. So he’s going feral.”

It hurts to say out loud, like a hard punch to his gut. Scott’s worried looks deepens immediately, glancing down at the happy little boy who has no idea what they’re really talking about. Even Malia frowns, her eyebrows pinching together.

“And I know I don’t deserve to ask you for any favors. So if you have to say no, it’s okay… but, you’re a true alpha. You’re the best pack he could possibly have.”

“Theo, I’m not going to— take your son off your hands, or something, if that’s what you’re asking,” Scott begins warningly, but Theo is quick to cut him off.

“ _No._ Definitely not. I would never, he’s… he’s the best thing that ever happened to me. Which is why I can’t let this happen to him. I want to be his pack. I want to be… your pack.” Theo isn’t used to begging, especially not to the likes of Scott McCall, but it’s hard to keep the desperateness out of his tone. What he means seems to dawn on Scott and Malia at the same time, and while Scott falls silent contemplatively, Malia scoffs like she can’t even believe he’s asking.

“What? Are you seriously asking for _the bite?_ No way. That’s crazy.”

“I know it is,” Theo nods. “And I’ll go to a different pack if you say no. But I just want to make sure that Levi has a good alpha, one who will lead him the right way. And… that’s exactly who you are. A good leader. I just want what’s best for him, Scott,” Theo sighs. For half a second, he’s about to get on his knees and starts offering everything he has, when Scott meets his eyes and purses his lips before nodding.

“Okay,” Scott says simply.

“Really?” Theo asks disbelievingly, at the same moment Malia sputters out a _no way._

“Really. You’re right, he needs a pack. You both do. And what kind of person would I be if I let our personal history get in the way of that?” Scott reasons.

“A sane one,” Malia replies before Theo can. “You killed him once before for his power, if you were his beta, you could do it again. Just because it’s been a while, and Liam keeps defending you for some reason, and you have a cute kid— who, are we even sure you didn’t kidnap?— doesn’t mean that you’ve changed.”

“I don’t want your power, _I swear_ , Scott. I just don’t want my son to die.” Tears collect in Theo’s eyes, which he blinks away quickly. He may not be above begging, but he is above crying in front of them.

“I believe you,” Scott says, his voice steady. His heartbeat doesn’t falter one bit, and Theo expels a breath of relief. “I’ll give you the bite. But I have one condition.”

“Anything,” Theo responds immediately.

“You have to stay here, in Beacon Hills,” Scott tells him. “And when summer’s over, you can move up to LA near Liam, or to Davis with me. I’m past everything that happened between us, really, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to keep an eye on you.”

Malia seems to accept this condition, because she falls silent calmly. Theo, on the other hand, blinks rapidly at Scott’s words, his mind racing. North Carolina isn’t really _home_ , it hasn’t been since Lina died, but moving back to Beacon Hills? Could he actually handle that?

_Of course you could. And then you could move to LA, and you could be with Liam…_

Scott’s waiting patiently for him to answer, and Levi’s still munching happily, completely removed from the conversation.

“Hey, buddy?” Theo asks, poking the little boy gently to draw his attention. “What do you think about, uh, having a new home? Here?”

“Here?” Levi pouts, looking around the diner critically.

“No,” Theo chortles, hurrying to correct him. “Just— in this town. Near Liam, remember?.”

“Liam,” Levi nods happily, apparently recalling their conversation from last night. “Liam cool.”

Scott laughs from across the table, and Theo realizes his mistake when the alpha asks, “Cool? Has Levi even met Liam?”

“Uh, yeah. Yesterday. I sort of ran into him, so he invited me for dinner.”

“Ah,” Scott nods, a knowing smile falling onto his face. “I’m glad you guys are reconnecting.”

“We’re not,” Theo sputters out. “We never— connected. So, no reconnecting.”

Malis snorts so hard it pulls Theo out of his reverie. “You used to be so good at lying,” she quirks up an eyebrow, glancing down to his chest where his sister’s heart lies, probably listening to its rapid beating. “Liam told us what happened that night in the hospital, when you two beat the hunters. Obviously.”

“Right,” Theo grimaces. “Well, have you even asked him if he’d be okay with— keeping an eye on me, or whatever?”

“Something tells me it wouldn’t be too difficult to convince him,” Scott teases, grinning a little. “But I’ll call and ask, if you want me to. If we’re really doing this.”

Theo hesitates, but all it takes is one look at Levi, who’s using his cracker pieces as fighter jets, or something, holding them in his fists and crashing them together with accompanying noises, to know exactly what he’s going to say.

It’s all too easy, when Theo nods and replies, “We’re doing this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is gonna be the one you've all been waiting for... ;)


	9. until i get home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the final chapter of Safe Place to Land! If you guys really want an epilogue, let me know and maybe I'll write that. But for now, I just want to say that I have loved writing this story so much, and thank you all for reading it and putting up with my sporadic updating!

The bite doesn’t hurt, not in the way that Theo thought it would.

Instead, the moment Scott’s fangs pierce his shoulder, it’s like a fog lifts from his head, sharpening his already enhanced senses so quickly it makes him dizzy. He passes out for a few moments, but by the time he comes to it’s already taken effect, much quicker than a typical bite, likely due to the presence of the wolf already inside Theo. There’s a different kind of power thrumming through his veins now, and he feels a pull towards Scott that he knows is their new connection, as alpha and beta.

He feels connected to Malia, too, and Liam, and all the other pack members who aren’t present, and it’s with a start that Theo realizes he feels connected to Levi, too. _It worked._ They’re both pack now, properly, and Theo can take his first full breath in months. It might take a little while for Levi to fully go back to normal, to control his shift, but he’s going to be fine. They’re going to be fine.

The relief is so overwhelming that Theo feels tears pricking in the corners of his eyes, and immediately Levi is climbing on top of him, putting his face right over Theo’s and inspecting him worriedly.

“Daddy? Okay?” Levi asks, poking at his cheeks.

“Yeah, buddy. I’m okay,” Theo replies, and for the first time in a long while, he truly means it.

“Can you sit up? Or are you still dizzy?” Scott chimes in, leaning forward carefully to help Theo sit up on his bed. They’d decided to do it here, at Scott’s house, instead of at the motel, where Theo knew he’d be billed if something went wrong and he ended up shifting and ripping the sheets.

“No, I’m good,” Theo waves Scott off, pushing himself up instead and pulling Levi into his lap. “Just disoriented. The better hearing, and vision— it’s throwing me off a little, is all.”

“Do you want me to turn the light off?” Liam offers, concerned, but Theo shakes his head and shoots him a small smile in thanks.

It’s certainly strange, to be laying in Scott McCall’s bed while they fret over him— minus Malia, who’s just standing at Scott’s side with a carefully impassive look on her face like she does want him to be okay, but doesn’t want him to know that she wants him to be. Theo sees right through her— but he doesn’t want them to be fretting over him, anyways.

“You should just stay here and rest,” Scott points out. “It took quickly, but it probably won’t be in full effect until the morning. We can go get food, if you want?”

“I’m really—” Theo begins, about to say _fine_ , but Levi has other ideas.

“Food? Yes,” the little boy responds immediately, cutting Theo off. “‘M hungry.”

Scott grins, charmed by Levi— who wouldn’t be?— and nods. “Okay. Malia and I will go pick up something. Theo, _stay here_. Rest. Liam, you watch him.”

They leave before Theo can argue it, and Liam climbs into the bed with him and Levi despite not receiving an invitation to do so.

“Uh, what are you doing? You don’t actually have to watch me,” Theo asks, dubious, but Liam just rolls his eyes and pushes at Theo’s shoulders until he’s laying back on the bed with Levi tucked into his side.

“I don’t have to, but I know you, and I know you would probably run away if I didn’t,” Liam remarks, settling in on the other side of Levi— who’s already well on his way to falling asleep, as it’s much later than his usual bedtime— and looking over his head at Theo. It’s a gesture that feels strangely domestic, and Theo can’t help but yearn for this to be a recurring thing.

“No, I wouldn’t,” Theo disagrees. “No more running away. You’re stuck with me now, remember? One of Scott’s conditions.”

Liam huffs, but he’s smiling. “I’ve been stuck with you since the night I pulled you out of the ground, honestly.” Theo quirks up an eyebrow, indicating for him to continue. “Well— not at first. You were still kind of a dick. But… after we fought the Ghost Riders together, for sure.” Liam pauses for a second, evidently steeling himself for what he’s about to say. Theo thinks he knows, but he really needs to hear it. “I think I was falling for you, even then, I just didn’t know it. And then later, once we’d beat the hunters, I’d finally figured out how in love with you I was. But you left.”

“I’m sorry,” Theo whispers, because it feels important, because it needs to be said, despite Liam already knowing it. “I was in love with you too. I still am. And I don’t regret leaving, because I got Levi, but I regret _why_ I left so much. I thought that I couldn’t handle it, being vulnerable with you, but—”

“That’s in the past,” Liam cuts in, shaking his head. A smile is creeping onto his face, and it’s probably happening to Theo, too, because this is it, isn’t it? They’re laying everything on the table. Theo wants to be with him, and now that he’s finally said it, Liam can tell him if he wants to be with him too. “I think I love you even more now. This nervous, quiet, caring version of you. I love your snark, too, but I like you as a dad. I think it suits you.”

“Yeah?” Theo asks, and he’s full-on grinning now, but he can’t help it. “You think… maybe it would suit you too?”

Liam laughs, bright and happy, and he darts forward to press his lips against Theo’s. Kissing Liam again after all this time feels like coming home, and Theo sighs a little and presses closer to him. His hip bumps against Levi, reminding him that the boy is still asleep between them, so Theo pulls back, but he’s chuckling and so is Liam.

“Sorry,” Liam says, with a tone that clearly conveys how not sorry he is. “I couldn’t help myself. The idea of this— of us, as a family— it’s crazy. But I want it. I want everything with you.”

“God, me too,” Theo breathes. “I thought I’d messed everything up, that too much time had passed, that you didn’t like me like that anymore.” It’s hard to say out loud, but Liam is right— he’s changed. He doesn’t want to be afraid of being vulnerable ever again, especially not with Liam.

“Never,” Liam says, immediately, forcefully. “Theo, over the last three years, I never stopped thinking about you. I never stopped loving you. I never wanted anybody but you.”

Theo kisses Liam again, just because he can, now. “That was sappy.”

“I know. But it’s true,” Liam shrugs.

“Well, you should know that I never wanted anybody but you, either,” Theo replies, and this time it’s Liam who surges forward to press their lips together.

And being here like this with Liam, kissing and laughing when Levi wakes up and catches them— it feels like the thing that Theo could do everyday for the rest of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end. <3


End file.
